Firearm with screwed barrel detachable by hand or permanently fixed



April 13 ,1926. 1,580,968

A. Dl BRAZZA FiRJEARM WITH SCREWED BARREL DETACHABLE BY HAND OR PERMANENTLY FIXED g Filed Jan. 26. 1925 3 She et s-Sheei 1 nvantbr;

April 13 {1926. 1,580,968

A. DI BRAZZA FIREARM WITH SCREWED BARREL DETACHABLE BY HAND ORPERMANENTLY FIXED iled Jan. 26. 1923 5'- MF: Hg. 9.

3 Sheets -Shet 2 k C h g v 1926. Apr! A. DIBRAZZA 1,5 6

fimmmwnu SCREWED BARREL DETACHABLE BY HAND on ranmumuwm FIXED Filed Jan. 26. 1925 S-Sheets-Sheet;

flscani Di hazza P fliomeg Patented Apr. 13, 1925.

Unitas stares rarsnrorrics.

ASCANIO DI BRAZZA, OF HOME, ITALY.

FIREARM WITH SCREWED BARREL DETACHABLE BY HAND OB PERMANENTLY FIXED.

Application filed January 26, 1923.

To all 107mm, 2'? may concern:

Be it known that I, Ascnm'o or Bnnzzfi, a subject of the King of Italy, residing at Rome, in the Kingdom of 1taly,h ave invented certain new and useful Improve ments in Firearms with Screwed Barrels Detachable by Hand or Permanently Fixed, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawing.

i This invention relates to improvements in fire arms with screwed barrel detachable by hand or permanently fixed; the object of said improvements being for the former to allow to attach the barrel, with the required stiffness for the latter to simplify the manufacture of the barrel.

It is well known that in army rifles and in most single barrel hunting rifles the barrel is screwed to the receiver and is supplied with a checking ring which, when the barrel is tightly screwed on, presses against the fore edge of the receiver.

- It is obvious that in order to give the required stiffness to the junction of the barrel with the breech it is necessary that the aforesaid pressure be strong enough and therefore the screwing of both parts requires the help of a vise or of strong and long levers.

There are known systems of hand unscrewing gun barrels, such that the friction due to the screwing may be overcome by the torsion effort that may be made by hand, but if these systems are sufliciently good with low power ammunitions, they all more or less lack in'stiffness at the joint if adopted inconnect-ion with rifles using high power cartridges.

If the latter rifles are at all manufactured with hand unscrewing barrels of the known systems, this is only due to the fact that there is a demand of such weapons by sportsmen who do not realize this serious defect.

The object of this invention, as far as firearms with permanently screwed barrels are concerned, is substantially secured by doing away with the usual checking collar integral with the barrel and which, as it is known, requires great accuracy in the manufacture,

and by substituting it by a-sleeve or a movable collar screwed on the barrel and acting as a:lock-nut by being tightened against the receiver when the barrel has been screwed into position. a

Serial No. 615,054.

For firearms with permanently screwed barrels the invention needs no further explanation.

For firearms with barrels to be unscrewed by hand, the principle of the lock-nut collar remains the same but the barrel must of course be provided with a stop intended to limit the rotation when it has reached the proper position and this always at the same spot, independently from the torsion effort developed.

This result is substantially secured by providing the rear end of the barrel with an abutment intended to limit the rotation of the barrel by striking against a projection inside the receiver.

On the annexed drawing:

Figure 1 represents the barrel in side olevation, with the loclenut collar, the receiver and the rear part of the gun stock; A Fig. 2 represents the lock nut collar in a iront elevation;

Figs. 3 and i respectively show a top view and an elevation of the back part of the barrel;

Figs. 5 and 6 respectively represent a top view and an elevation of the receiver;

Figs. 7 and 8 are like Figs. 5 and 6 from which they differ in only one detail.

Fig. 9 is-a side elevation of a part of the gun showing the junction of the barrel to the receiver.

Figs. 10 and ll-are front elevations at the aforesaid junction, showing the lock-nut collar with long hinged lever and the rear part of the stock.

Figs. 12 and 13- are rear elevations at the same point, showing the rear part of the fore-end of the stock and the long hinged lever folded along the barrel.

Figs. 14 and 15 are side elevations partially opened at the same point.

Fig. 16 is a side elevation of a particularly shaped lock-nut collar.

Figs. 17 and 18 are the same as Figs. 14: and 15, but showing the lock-nut collar with two different shapes of shortfixed lever.

Fig. 19 is a rear elevation like Figs. 12 and 13, but with short fixed lever.

Fig. 20 is a rear elevation like Figs. 10 and 11, but with short fixed lever.

Fig. 21 shows the jointed cleaning rod with the little copper hammer acting also as a handle of the same.

Fig. 22 is a perspective view of the foreend of the stock showing'a manner of carry ing thec'oinbined cleaning rod and the hammer. I

Referring to Fig. 1, 1 is the barrel screwed onto the receiver 52; 3 is the loci:- nut collar tightened against the receiver; 4: is a projection or lever of thecollar; is the rear part of the stock.

.Vith particular reference to Figs. 3(3 it may be seen that by screwing the threaded portion out the barrel in the threaded portion 7 of the receiver, the rotary movement of the barrel is stopped, always in the same point of the threading, bymeans of alug or tooth S moulded out of the external. periphery ot'baset) of the barrel as shown in Figs.

2 and 3; said tooth striking against an in nor abutment 1.0 on the bottom of; the threaded portion of the receiver (Figs. 5-6).

The threaded portion 6 has a length which is somewhat in excess out that generally used in the well known systems of screwed barrels, the screwthread being partially used for screwing on the lock-nutor collar 3 acting as checking collar of the bar rel.

As it has already been said the above lock-nut collar3 is tightened against the receiver when the barrel is already screwed into it as far as the lug allows it.

The collar may be screwed on or unscrewed by means of a special key, or by means of a lever a hinged to its lower'part 4i" 10, 11) and which can be folded along the barrel itself (Figs. 12-, 13, 14,15), said lever l made in such a way so as tobe lodged in a recess 13 (Figs. 1 2, 13, 14, 15) provided in the fore end of the stool; and so as to be completely hidden by it in the mounted gun. Said recess must be of such size to allow some rotation of the locknut collar in the direction oi tightening marked by the arrow 12, and this for taking up wear.

Another arrangement practically convenient consists in supplying the lower part ofthe collar with a projection or lever 4- (Figs. 1, i, 16, 17, 18, 19, making it possible to loosen or tighten the collar against the receiver of the gun by striking with a little hammer from the one side or the other of the at resaid projection.

It is advisable that the projection or lever lshould be shaped as shown. in Figsl and 2 and 16 to 20 inclusive. Iu'any case this projection mush have sufficient width to be convenienty shifted by being struck by the little copper h'annner; a greater length of the projection would otl'er a greater leverage to the strokes applied with the hammer, but on the other hand the projection or fixed lever must be short enough so. as to be housed in a recess 1-3 (Figs. 17, 18, 19) provided; re ore n. t1 '2 fi ieend."Qt-the to k.- and 'this'under thesaine conditions as the before named hinged lever, i. e. to allow sutticitnt rotation for taking up wear and to be entirely hidden in the mounted gun.

It usedon repeating rifles having tubular magazines the projection must of course be different from that indicated at 4i Figs. 1 and 2 and 1G to 20 inclusive, and shaped in such a way as to. be as little as possible hampered in moving by the said tubular magazine. 1

The lateral faces of the projection 4 are marked with indication letters, i. e.; C (connect) and D (disconnect) to show whichyof the two must be struck when the collar is to be tightened or loosened. The collar ought to fit exactly with the fore'face of the receiver, whatsoever percussion tool may be used to. strike on the sides of projection 0r lever 4:; however it is conven ient to use a. little copper hammer which might weigh less than an ounce, it being therefore sufficiently small to be conven iently lodged in the fore end or in the butt end of the stock, within a special housing.

In firearms provided with a join-ted clean-v ing rod that may be carried in the butt or in the fore end, the little hammer might be made of a small eopperblock '14. (Figs. 21, 22) fastenedat one end of one-of the pieces of the rod and acting also as a handle of the existing military rifles; in the tore-end the different pieces might be lodged in acavity opened at thetop and covered by the barrel when the fore-end of the stock is fitted to the gun as shown in Fig. 22; r V

In connection wlth rifles without sighting-telescope mounted on the receiver and with any rifle used. for shooting with low 7' power cartridges, the screwing ofthe collar In, the'butt it is carried like in many 7 may be regulated in such a way so that for tightening, or loosening the collar itself onlythe action or" the operators hand on the short lover or pro ec,tion l is enough.

In the fire-arms with screwed hand de taehab'le rifles according to tlis invention the'rear end of the stock is shaped'like other stocks for screwed detachable barrels, but, differently from other well known systems, the barrel is fitted to the receiver without the fore end; the latter beingfastened utter the barrel has been screwed and locked and it can be fastened to the barrel in any of the well known ways commonly used with double drop down.

Both parts of the stock are joined to gether preferably grooved in such a way that they cannot move. In this way the barrel is prevented from unscrewing, when-.

ever by chance the lock-nut collar has not been tightened, inasmuch as the'rotation of the barrel would tend to. cause the fore; part of the stock to turn, which is rendered im possible through the aforesaid groove. This might be obtained, for instance, with screw heads 15. (Figs. 12, 13, 19, 22) projecting from the rear part of the fore-end, and corresponding into holes 16 (Figs. 10, 11, 12) in the front face of the rear part of the stock. The fore-end 12 might be also attached in any easily detachable way to the rear part of the stock instead of to the barrel.

The above mentioned system of detachable barrel may be adopted also with firearms wherein the connection of the barrel with the receiver is made by means of sector screw with the object to connect or disconnect the barrel with a fraction of turn. The screw thread of the lock-nut 3 should, however, remain continuous.

The above described system is easily ap plicable to existing fire-arms, by means of easy modifications.

The abutment in new firearms manufactured with suitable machinery may be made integral with the receiver; but when it is desired to apply the said system with out altering the machinery already in use, or to apply it to already finished fire-arms, said abutment may be substituted by a screw 11 screwed on from outside and with its axis perpendicular to the axis of the barrel as it is shown in Figs. 7 and 8; said screw crossing the wall of the receiver and projecting within the latter.

The projecting part of the screw is flattened upon the surface destined to strike against the tooth of the barrel and upon the surface directed towards the mouth of the receiver.

lVhere on the bottom of the receiver the metal has a sufficientthickness, the abutment- 10 might consist of a metal piece sunk in or screwed on the bottom itself and in such case it would not be necessary to bore the lateral wall of the receiver.

In transformed fire-arms the tooth is obtained in a manner similar to that described for newly manufactured fire-arms, and the portion of screw-thread required for screwing on the lock-nut collar is obtained from the checking collar.

Claims:

1. Firearms with screwed barrel in which the usual checking collar on the barrel is substituted by a sleeve screwed on the barrel and acting as a lock-nut by being tightened against the receiver when the barrel has been screwed into position, a

tooth molded on the external periphery of the barrel base to limit the rotary movement of the barrel on screwing same to the receiver, and an abutment consisting of a screw provided in the receiver, for engaging said tooth.

2. Firearms according to claim 1, in which the collar has a hinged lever to loosen or tighten the collar, which lever can be folded along the barrel itself and is made in such a way so as to be housed in a recess provided in the fore-end of the stock, said recess being of such size as to allow the locknut collarto perform together with the lever some rotation in the direction of tightening, for the purpose of taking up wear.

8. Firearms according to claim 1, in which the collar has a projection of such shape and size that it can be easily struck by a little hammer, to loosen or tighten the collar, and that it can be housed in a recess provided in the fore-end of the stock, said recess being of such size as to allow the lock nut collar to perform together .with its projection some rotation in the direction of tightening, for the purpose of taking up wear.

4:. A firearm with screwed barrel according to claim 1, comprising on the lock-nut a lever whereby the barrel. is screwed and locked, the fore-end of the stock being mounted separately from the barrel after the same has been screwed and locked.

5. A firearm with screwed barrel according to claim 1, comprising a short lever on the lock-nut sleeve, the fore end of the stock having a cavity to receive the said lever which is thus conceal-ed and protected.

6. A firearm with screwed barrel according to claim 1, comprising a lever hinged to the lock-nut sleeve, a recess formed 'in the fore end of the stock to contain and conceal the said lever and prevent accidental operation thereof.

7. A firearm with screwed barrel according to claim 1, comprising a lever integral with the lock-nut, and means for tightening the lock-nut consisting of a portable hammer for striking against said lever, and a recess in the stock for accommodating said hammer.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

ASCANIO or BRAZZA. 

